Learning To Breathe
by EFAW
Summary: It wasn't that he couldn't swim, just that he wouldn't. But sometimes, even drowning has it's advantages... Oneshot.


This is my tenth story (yay! Double digits!) so I know the drill by now. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!. At all.

In this story, I will be using the Japanese name, just because they fit better and sound prettier. I'm sorry if you don't know the characters by the Japanese names, but I won't be telling who's who here because I hate the English names they have.

This story was created purely on a whim, so there may be some things that completely contradict the actual storyline of Yu-Gi-Oh!. If that is the case, then please consider this an AU fic and enjoy the story. If that's not the case...well, then you can just ignore this note.

Read and enjoy!

**OOOO **

**Learning To Breathe **

Fall.

Winter.

Spring.

Summer.

The four seasons. In every one, something unenjoyable could be found.

For instance, fall, the third season. Full of crunching leaves and, strangely, the only time he ever got sick. Mostly from pushing himself past the limits his body could take. Not that anyone really cared. But fall was after when most of the new releases were, and fall was when he had to work on new designs and the like for the next year.

Winter. The fourth season. Full of bitter winds and cold temperatures, making one wish they were dead to avoid the biting air. When most other students got sick, and only the few with healthy and active immune systems were at school. The time when his brother missed the most school because he got sick too much.

The first season of the new year, spring. In the spring, things were budding, and growing, and his allergies acted up. If it weren't for the many prescriptions he had, he would go to school red-eyed and puffy nosed like many of his other classmates. Allergies were horrible things to deal with, stuffing the nose, making the mind fuzzy, the eyes tear. Thank god for antibiotics.

And last of all, the second season: summer. And in the summer, not only was there unbearably hot weather and bugs and sweat everywhere, but there was something even worse.

The pool.

More importantly, _swimming_.

He had never liked the water. He never liked the feeling of being completely submerged, of being unable to open his mouth without swallowing water, of being unable to breathe.

He had always felt like he was suffocating in the water, and to be robbed of his breath was the one thing he couldn't afford.

It wasn't that he _couldn't _swim, he often liked to tell himself. He just had enough control not to jump in the water like an idiot and splash around. It was never because he couldn't swim, he denied furiously to himself. He could swim fine if he wanted to, he just didn't want to.

Of course, he and his brother knew the truth.

No matter what he said, Seto Kaiba couldn't swim.

This wasn't normally a problem. He would just get a note from the nurse or his doctor saying he couldn't swim and would spend the gym period sitting against the fence, working on his homework or doing small, menial tasks the gym coach assigned him to do.

Gym was the one class he was actually having trouble passing. Gozaburo had forced a lot of knowledge into his mind, and had forced him prematurely to age, so he was years above most of his peers in intellect, earning the rights to the title 'genius'. But studying so much left little time to exersize, so he had never gotten out of his dark, clouded room that always smelled like books and blood.

That was why even as he was grown his skin was that unhealthy shade of pale, and he had little muscle on his lanky frame. That was why he never got into actual spars with the mutt, because he knew that in tests of strength, Jonouchi would win. His power was in words and insults.

That was why he always was chosen last when they picked the teams for gym sports, why he was chosen even _after_ the gaijin, the foreigner children. Everyone knew he was bad at sports, and it showed. The only reason he wasn't failing the class was because, for one, it was mostly about how much effort was put forth, and, for two, his gym teacher was slightly greedy and had no problems accepting bribes. If it weren't for the fact that he needed gym credits to pass high school, he wouldn't even be taking the stupid class.

So, when the issue of swimming had, just once, come up, Gozaburo had ignored it. People never met business-wise at swimming pools, and even when they met at the ocean there was no obligation to go in. Studies were much more important than learning how to swim. That was just the way it was.

Which was why, even the Gozaburo had died, Seto never learned to swim. One reason was that he would have been more than embarrassed to be seen at a swimming class with a bunch of kids ten years his junior, learning how to float and kick just to keep his head above the surface.

Another reason was that he was perfectly content to watch. Watching was one of the things he was best at. Sharp blue eyes took in everything, rarely letting out anything, and watching Mokuba playfully splash in the water with his peers gave him joy, even if he wasn't in the water alongside his brother. When Moki was happy, he was happy.

And there were other things to watch…

Not things he would ever mention, of course. But just…things…

It wasn't general knowledge that Seto Kaiba couldn't swim. He had always intended to keep it that way. After all, he told himself, it wasn't that he _couldn't_, it was that he _wouldn't_.

But something was about to change…

**XXXX **

Blue eyes stared in horror at the board in the locker room. Somehow, even though it had been posted for probably weeks now, he had missed it. And, in missing it, he had come completely unprepared.

Not only that, but the regular gym coach was out, and some stupid, gum-snapping sub was in his place. Otherwise, he probably would have been able to buy a pass out of class. But this teacher was a veteran, and had learned long ago student's tricks. She wouldn't take a bribe.

Not that he hadn't tried…repeatedly…

Someone bumped into his back, and he turned, looking down at the small, round face of none other than Yugi Mutou.

"Can I help you?" he asked coolly, though practiced observers would have noted that his voice was slightly strained. Of course, in the din of the locker room, even words were a bit hard to make out sometime.

Yugi was already dressed in the mandatory blue swim shorts, the ones that had the white stripe on either side. The Duelist grinned up at the CEO.

"You'd better hurry and change, Kaiba-kun. Otherwise, you'll be late."

The smaller boy shot a brilliant smile up at his rival, then turned at the mutt's call. Seto turned back to the bulletin board, dreading going out there and proving just how inept at sports he was.

The locker room slowly but steadily emptied, soon leaving only Seto in the room. With a quick look around, he grabbed his clothes, for once thanking Mokuba for forcing him to buy the school's swim trunks. He didn't need to lose points for a non-suit as well as not participating.

When he finally stepped out of the locker room, all talk stopped. Everything. All eyes were on him, and the teacher was stalking over to him. As she began chewing him out for being late, he kept his eyes on the nasty mole to the right of her nose. It was easier than watching the stares of his classmates.

There were some things even he didn't like watching.

**XXXX **

Class had started quite quickly after the teacher had finished ratting out on Kaiba. Now the brunette was sitting on the edge of the shallow end, feet dangling in the water, and a look in his eyes that seemed oddly foreign on his sculpted face.

Katsuya, Honda and Yugi were splashing around in the five-foot water, having a ball. No one was doing laps like they should have been, except for Anzu. But even having fun, Katsuya couldn't help glancing at a certain brunette, trying to place that strange emotion.

Kaiba was wearing the standard, ugly swim shorts, which revealed his miles of legs. His skinny torso was covered in a thin undershirt that was slightly too big and kept slipping off one shoulder. The three of them had tried to figure out the reason for the shirt, as the teacher had finally, grudgingly allowed him to wear it.

Blue eyes slid upwards, meeting brown in a mix of confusion on one side and, for the briefest of instants, utter terror. But it was so brief that Katsuya thought it was nothing more than a figment of his imagination. Then Kaiba was back, cold eyes staring deep into warm chocolate ones, with the accompanying mouthed, "Shove off," and it was as though the words were written in ink.

The blond mouthed his own, derogatory, "Bite me," coupled with a sneer and an immature tongue poking past his lips.

The CEO probably would have responded back, starting one of their fights, if it weren't for the shrill piercing of a whistle.

"Out of the pool," the sub shouted, cupping her hands like a megaphone. "Out of the pool and line up in front of the diving boards."

When everyone stood in front of the boards, the teacher began pacing on front of the assembled class. "Today, I've let you have a bit of fun, so now we're going to do what we were supposed to be doing."

Groans were collected from the students. "Alright, quiet down, children. You should like this. We're going to go diving." The groans moved to cheers.

"Now, what we're going to do is this. Everyone will dive at least once. It can be from the edge of the pool, the medium dive, or the high. You dive, I'll give you credit for today. Once you've dived, you can do whatever. I'll leave you to it now." She turned away, and immediately the students rushed to get in line for the dives they wanted.

Yugi and Honda moved to the medium dive, but Katsuya went straight to the high dive. He loved it when the air rushed past his skin, giving him to feeling that he was flying, and then hitting the water and breaking that illusion as easily as popping a bubble. He didn't know why, but he loved it.

It didn't escape his attention that Kaiba didn't go to a dive.

**XXXX **

Seto knew very well he was probably going to fail this class today. But even with that threat, he wasn't going near the water. Even if he did the most Olympic-worthy dive, it would mean nothing when he needed someone to jump in and save him. He had enough dignity to keep that embarrassing spectacle from happening.

From the vantage point he had taken up at the side of the pool, he watched the mutt execute a nearly perfect swan dive. The blond reappeared at the surface by the ladder, laughing as he climbed out and joined Mutou and Honda.

It was amazing to watch the other teen, Seto mused. Those pretty, chocolate eyes, that thick hair that hung to his head and prayed a sheen of water when he shook his head. That lean, tall body, those taut, strong muscles, a perfect pale tan shade to his skin, the almost feline grace he moved with. The way his skin shone when wet, the way it glistened when the light caught it.

As he said, he liked to watch unmentionable things.

He shook his head. No use thinking of foolish things like that. He had more pressing matters to attend to. Like, for instance, how to regain his grade for today. Even one F in this class would send his already precarious grade tumbling downward.

With a small sigh, the brunette unfolded his body off the ground. Maybe he could talk the sub into overlooking his missing dive. He nodded as he caught Jou's eyes from across the pool, receiving a view of the blond's most polite fingers in return. Just shaking his head, he looked away, taking careful steps on the wet tiled as he moved towards the teacher.

Afterwards, he was never quite certain whether it was an accident, or if it happened on purpose. As he moved one step at a time, someone bumped him, and on the already slick tiles, there was no way to regain his balance.

The water surrounded him in a rush of bubbles, and, for the second time in his life, he felt an unexplainable surge of terror. The surface seemed so far away, and his panicked thrashings only confused up with every other direction.

And his only, hysteric thought was that he was going to die.

**XXXX **

Katsuya normally watched for Kaiba, if only to make sure to stay on the other side of the room, as far from that scathing tongue as possible. So it was no surprise that he had seen Kaiba fall, and was now watching him under the water

_Shit,_ he thought calmly, _I think he's drowning._

This, coupled with the frantic writhing and the fact that he _clearly_ wasn't coming up for air only allied his suspicions.

And no one even noticed.

"Yugi," he called to his friend, "I need you to get the teacher." He didn't even look away from the pool.

The shorter duelist glanced over at him. "Why, Jou?"

"Just do it, Yugi." He didn't look to see if his friend had followed his order: he had already moved to the edge of the pool. A kid on the diving board was yelling at him, but he ignored them. Stupid kids shouldn't be diving when classmates were drowning.

The blond dived off the edge, experienced enough that he left barely a ripple in his wake. The smell and taste of chlorine surrounded him, almost choking in its intensity. The chemicals burned his eyes, but he kept them open, breast-stroking steadily towards the brunette.

Katsuya caught a glimpse of terrified, frantic blue, before Kaiba's eyes slipped closed, and whatever air he had managed to trap in his lungs escaped his mouth. His movement stopped, and he went limp, floating gently in the water.

Grabbing one, free-floating arm, the blond tugged him against his body, pulling the surprisingly light CEO to the surface, where Yugi had, as instructed, gotten the teacher, and at the same time collected the rest of the class as onlookers.

A pair of hands pulled Kaiba onto the tile, and Yugi helped Jou out of the pool. He looked at every face watching.

"Does anyone know CPR?" he asked hopefully.

The sub looked panicked. "I'm just a fill-in! No one told me I'd need to know CPR! I thought there was a lifeguard!" She sounded as if she was going to lose her job for this.

"Anyone else?" he practically begged. He looked at his classmates and was met with negative shakes of the head or apologetic looks.

_Damn_, he grumbled to himself, looking down at the still CEO in front of him. _Damn dad and his stupid lifeguard classes._

If there had been more time, Katsuya would have noticed in more detail how peaceful Kaiba's face looked, with no stress lines, his brow not furrowed in concentration. He looked like a regular teen, instead of someone who carried the burdens of a man twice his age. In fact, he almost looked…hot.

Of course, that wasn't the point. He had to –_uuh!_- give Kaiba CPR.

Two breaths, fifteen chest compressions…hopefully all the yaoi fans would appreciate this, because he was _not_ going to enjoy this at all.

**XXXX **

_He didn't know when this was. Some time before his birth father had died, but after Mokuba was born. He couldn't remember the reason, either, but their father had taken them to the beach._

_Seto was only three or four, and of course adored his father beyond belief, so he followed his father's rules explicitly: Stay near the towel on the beach, always keep the shore in sight, and never, __**never**__ go where the water was above his waist when his feet were on the bottom._

_There was a ring, he remembered that. Even then, he couldn't swim, and the ring gave him the confidence to go out into the water. It was blue, with a few white patches where the rubber had gotten punctured, and it was one of his most favorite things in the world._

_No one ever really knew how it happened. One minute, the cute, russet-haired boy was splashing happily in his rubber ring, and the next, he was gone, leaving only the ring behind. Some suspected undertow, others thought there was a hidden ledge he stepped over, and one frenzied parent just feared for his son. He handed his infant child to a concerned beachcomber and stormed the water._

_It was, in fact, a hidden ledge. Seto had stepped over it, slipped out of his ring, and was drowning because he couldn't move his way upwards. His struggling had only turned him the wrong way, and he couldn't tell where the surface was._

_The only salvation came when a strong, familiar hand gripped his tiny wrist and pulled him to the air._

_The concerned father held onto his clinging, sobbing son, patting the terrified boy on the back as he swam to shore. A young woman with wide eyes held the squalling Mokuba, but made no move to hand him back as she and everyone else watched the father arrive back on land._

"_It's alright, Seto," the warm voice said softly, cutting through his hyperventilated panic. "It's okay. Just breathe…that's right, deep breaths, it's okay. Daddy's here now. I won't let you drown."_

"_Just breathe…" _

And that was all he needed to be called back to life.

**XXXX **

The sub was outright frenetic now. It had been nearly two minutes, and still the brunette showed no signs of reviving.

Katsuya leaned forward once more, locking his lips over Kaiba's and plugging the dragon's nose. He would try one more set of breaths and chest compressions before someone needed to call an ambulance.

He hadn't even given one breath, and he got a mouthful of chlorinated water and bile. Blue eyes snapped open, and as the blond pushed away, the brunette turned on his side and coughed up the rest of the water he swallowed. There was scattered applause as Kaiba pulled himself to his knees, half-glaring at the brown-eyes teen sitting back on his haunches. Ignoring everyone else, Kaiba got, albeit a little shakily, to his feet and strode to the locker room.

In outrage, Katsuya stood up. "I don't even get a thank you? I saved that prick's life!"

"Jou," Yugi warned, "let it drop."

"No way! I deserve at least a thank you for humiliating myself in front of all these people by kissing him!"

"It was CPR," Honda reminded.

"Not the point! It looked like kissing! It felt like kissing too! I'm gonna get a thank you or I'm gonna hit him!" Despite Yugi and Honda's protests, he stormed his own way to the locker room.

"Alright, Moneybags, what's up with the cold shoulder treatment?" he shouted, slamming the door open. "I know you hate me, but a _small_ bit of gratitude would be appreciated!"

The brunette didn't even look up, nestling his head in his hands. "Must you be so loud?" he asked quietly, no hint of bitterness or fight in his voice.

That stopped Katsuya cold. Anger melted into concern, though why he was feeling concern for _this_ guy he didn't know, and he padded his way over to where the other sat.

"Hey, are you alright?"

There was a long silence, long enough that Katsuya was about to leave. Then-

"I don't like being unable to breathe. And I'm scared of the water." He glared up at the blond. "Tell anyone I just said that and you die."

Instead of leaving, as Seto had expected, the mutt sat down next to him, eyes carefully searching his face.

"Can you swim, Kaiba?"

There were certain, unspoken rules the two of them followed. They would fight with words and Seto would win: fighting in fists, rare as it was, and Katsuya would win. They never cared or worried about the enemy, but the enemy's siblings were fine to hang around. For Jou to so blatantly break the rules…

The answer was short and clipped. "No."

"Why don't you learn?"

Cobalt eyes were still staring oddly at him, as if Katsuya had grown a third eye. "Why does it matter to you?"

Not the answer he was expecting, but… "If you learn, then what happened out there won't happen again/"

Seto looked away, feeling a blush rising to his cheeks and furiously fighting it down. Why did the mutt's concern make him feel warm inside? Like…like he _wanted_ it…

"Seriously, Kaiba, why don't you learn? It could really help next time you're drowning."

"Because I don't want to make a fool of myself in some community pool in front of a bunch of toddlers and their mothers. That's why I don't learn, okay? Just leave me alone!"

The CEO stood and moved to his locker, slamming the door open and grabbing his clothes. He knew very well that Jou wasn't leaving, but, like he often did, he ignored the mutt and peeled off his saturated shirt.

"Please don't stare," he mumbled, pulling on the shirt of his uniform and covering the whip-lash scars that covered his back.

"It's not a bad thing to carry scars."

"It is when they're scars of things you want to forget."

"But some scars are good to have."

Seto paused in pulling on is pants, for once paying complete attention to the blond's words. He turned to his companion, buttoning his pants.

"I mean, surely you've got some memories that are happy, that you wouldn't want to let go of, right?" Seto nodded warily, reclaiming his seat and slipping on his socks and shoes.

Katsuya nodded too. "So, you don't want to forget those happy memories. That's just another type of scar, only it's internal."

"Water doesn't leave any scars."

The blond laughed. "Have you never seen stalagmites, stalactites? Pictures of the Grand Canyon in America? Sorry to break it to you, but those were and are made _completely _from water. Water leaves as big a scar as anything else.

The brunette sat back up, folding his hands in his lap and staring stonily ahead. "There are ways," he said softly, "to reduce to appearance of scars. How would you propose I…diminish my 'water scars'?"

A grin broke out on Katsuya's face. "Thought you'd never ask. You need to learn how to swim."

"No."

"Kaiba…"

"If you can think of a way for me to learn without humiliating myself, I will do it. Otherwise, no, I won't even consider it."

"You've got a pool, right?"

"…what are you implying?"

Chocolate eyes rolled in exasperation. "In your house. Don't tell me you don't have a pool in that big-ass mansion of yours. I'm betting Mokuba swims like a fish, even if you don't, and we know you adore your brother."

"…your point being?"

"I can teach you."

Seto's head whipped around, shock clearly written in his eyes, if not on his face. "Oh, hell no."

Katsuya's face set into a scowl. "Look, Moneybags, you really should learn how to swim. I know your secret. Just let me teach you."

There was a clatter and the sound of hurried steps as Seto stood, pacing in front of the bench and debating the pros and cons of this plan. He didn't have much time; class was ending soon and he needed to make a decision.

He stopped in front of the mutt, staring at a point just behind the blond's head.

"I don't like drowning," he stated, as if this were news. "I don't like being unable to breathe."

"_It's okay Seto. Just breathe." A warm hand on his brow, pushing his sodden bangs away from his face. "Don't worry. Daddy's here. Just breathe for me."_

By this time, Seto had moved so his face was just centimeters away from Jou's. "I don't like drowning," he repeated, softer this time. "But," he amended quickly, "there were things that made this time more…pleasant than last time."

And before Jou could ask what he meant, he had descended on the blond, capturing Katsuya's mouth with his own.

Afterwards, Seto wouldn't be able to say _why_ he kissed the mutt. He'd never felt any sort of _attraction_ for the other boy before. Sure, he liked their sparring, but that was because it was _amusing_ as _hell_ to see Jou get so riled. It wasn't _attraction_.

But something about the way the other teen was trying to help him, still trying to be nice, despite everything Kaiba had ever done, that made him just lean down and--

It was a furious kiss, full of passion and a longing so intense that Jou could almost taste it.

Katsuya tasted like cinnamon and sugar.

Seto tasted like spices and mint.

To each, it was the best combination they'd had in their lives.

Seto pulled away first. Jou's face was flushed pink, and both boys were breathing heavier than they had been. Somehow, his hand had become wrapped in thick, silky blond, and Jou's fist was tangled in his shirt. The dragon cracked a smile.

"Last time, you see, I didn't get kissed by a puppy."

Flushed skin erupted into red. "It was CPR! It wasn't a kiss!"

"Then what was that just now?"

He didn't give Jou a chance to answer, untangling his hand and pulling away. He picked up his briefcase, putting his wallet in his pocket. "Ten 'o 'clock, Saturday, my place."

"…eh? For what?"

Once more, the dragon smirked. "You're teaching me to swim, remember?"

With that, Kaiba left, regal even in the school uniform. Katsuya could only sit there as his classmates trickled in from the pool, mentally clearing Saturday's schedule in his head.

**XXXX **

Saturday rolled around, and the blond stood on the massive stoop, a duffel clutched to his chest, wondering if this was a bad idea.

"The door's not going to open unless you knock, you know," a cool voice said from behind him.

Jou whirled around. "Kaiba! Er…what are you…"

"Waiting for you. Plus, I left my keys on the table." Flowing silkily in his black clothing, Seto moved to the door, knocking on it with the back of his fist. "Mokuba, open up. I know you know I left my keys."

The door flew open, revealing a black-haired bundle of pre-teen energy. "Seto! Why is Jou here? Jou, why are you here! Ohh, are you here to play? Can we play? Can we, can we, can we?"

Slightly overwhelmed, Jou only blinked as Seto calmly said, "Give us a chance to answer. The puppy's here at my request. And no, you cannot play, until _after_ we have finished our business."

He glanced over his shoulder at Jou. "A maid will show you to the pool."

"You're leaving me alone in this big-ass house?"

One fine eyebrow raised slightly. "Yes. As you can see, I'm not appropriately dressed for our…lesson. You can wait by the pool, and I'll go get changed." A maid fluttered in from nowhere, bowing to Jou and escorting him out of the room and towards the pool.

"Oh, oh, Niisama, why are you going to the pool? You neeeveeer go to the pool!"

Seto grinned, though his brother couldn't see it, as he was already moving up the stairs. "I'm going swimming."

There was a long pause.

Then-

"Oh, oh, me too Niisama! Me too!"

**OOOO**

Thank you all for reading my story.

**EDIT**: Thanks to everyone who told me that Seto/Jou is puppyshipping. Now I know. And it's awesome. XD

I also added a smidge, because people have told me that Kaiba's kiss just came out of nowhere, so there's a bit in there that's added to, hopefully, make it work a little better.

Anyway, I hope you liked it. If you did, please review and tell me. If you didn't, please review and tell me that too. (though if you _didn't_ like it, reasons would be nice).

Arigatou!


End file.
